White House: CT could receive $9 million for opioid treatment

WASHINGTON >> Connecticut could qualify for up to $9 million in funding over a two-year period to expand addiction treatment resources under President Obama’s proposed $1.1 billion in funding seeking to address the nation’s opioid crisis.

The White House on Tuesday released state-by-state estimates for the proposed funding, which would provide money to expand access to opioid treatments like medication-assisted treatment. According to a release from the White House, each state would receive funding based on the severity of the epidemic.

“Without the resources necessary to prevent opioid use disorders and increase access to treatment and recovery services, pending legislation this year would do little to help the thousands of Americans struggling with addiction get the treatment they urgently need,” the release said.

West Virginia leads the nation in drug poisoning, ranking number one with a death rate of 35.5 per 100,000 population. All five New England states rank within the top 30 in this rate, with New Hampshire ranking No. 3 with a rate of 26.2.

According to the government’s data, the annual rate of opioid pain reliever prescriptions dispensed by retail pharmacies has been mostly unchanged since 2010, with just a slight decrease since then.

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